Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, is set to be baptized on July 6. But as the day comes closer, more controversies are cropping up left and right. It was reported that the newest royal baby will be christened at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, and it will be a highly private event.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will only invite few family members and friends, and some of the confirmed attendees include Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. Queen Elizabeth will not make it due to a prior commitment, but there’s someone who’s not attending the christening for an unfortunate reason.

It was reported that Princess Anne is refusing to come. And this was because of an old rift with her brother, Prince Charles.

The tension arising from Archie’s upcoming christening goes way back in 1985, when Prince Harry was baptized. At that time, Princess Anne did not show up at Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s second son’s christening, and this was because she got angry at her brother for not picking her to be Harry’s godparent.

Princess Anne was said to have been very hurt, so she deliberately snubbed the family occasion and went to Gatcombe Park Estate in Gloucestershire instead to play shooting with her then-husband Mark Phillips. Since then, Prince Charles and Princess Anne’s relationship turned rocky.

This incident is said to have been brought up again with Archie’s christening, so it’s certain that Princess Anne is not attending. But this is not the only controversy that Prince Harry and Meghan are facing now.

People expressed high interest in who will be Archie’s godparents, but according to a report, Meghan and Prince Harry have decided to keep their names a secret. In addition, the couple will forbid people from taking photos of the christening, and even photographers would not be allowed to take pictures of the guests who are going in and coming out of the chapel.

The guests and godparents are said to be very willing to go along with Meghan and Prince Harry’s wishes to keep the ceremony private, so they will not be talking about it to the public. The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex just promised to post a few photos of their son’s baptism a few days after the baptism rites.

“The godparents, in keeping with their wishes, will remain private,” the note from the royal communications reads. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex look forward to sharing some images taken on the day by photographer Chris Allerton.”

But this secrecy angered fans and the public because they pointed out that baptisms are public records, so they should be revealed, including the names of the godparents. Meghan and Harry’s decision also incited criticisms, especially after the citizens footed the £2.4million bill for the renovation of their Frogmore Cottage home.

Prince Charles and Princess Anne
Prins Charles og Prinsesse Anne av Storbritannia (1969). Municipal Archives of Trondheim/Flickr

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